September 2024
Dear Praying Friends,
“I love my mother-in-law” I tell people with a big grin, “because she lives on
another continent!” But the truth is, I really do love my mother-in-law and highly
respect her. For the past 60 years, Deloris McClure has been a missionary to Brazil
with her husband, Dean McClure. After a long illness, God recently called Dean
home and Deloris was there every single day, caring for him for better or for worse.
Deloris has spent the last few months in Brazil sorting through all of her possessions. She gave away the majority of her things to church folks, neighbors and friends. She sold the rest and moved back to the US. She is 81, in good health and plans to continue ministering to Portuguese speaking people through video classes and missions trips.
Now, she is facing life without her best friend, husband and partner. When asked
how she is doing, she will reply with a smile on her face but tears in her eyes, “I am
doing alright, God has been so good to me!” No self-pity, no anger nor frustration.
How can she have this godly attitude after suffering the loss of her husband? She
embodies 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of
God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Yes, she mourns the loss of her husband, but
she rejoices in the hope of a heavenly reunion. Yes, she is sad at the prospect of a
solitary life, but she rejoices in the presence of her Savior. She is thankful for what
God gave her and still is giving her.
No one may know what you are suffering, no one may even care. But you can
rejoice in knowing that God cares and is with you every step, in storm and in calm,
in prosperity or in poverty, in sickness and in health. Our Savior will never leave us
nor forsake us and is one day coming back to take us home to be with Him! May
each of us have a heart of gratitude for all God has done and is doing for us! No
matter what comes, we know God is in control and we can be thankful to Him!
Giving thanks,
Mark Hale
-03.jpg)
